English: Picture of Fazoli's sign.

English: Picture of Fazoli’s sign. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A recent visit to Fazoli’s in Cleveland, Tennessee was a pleasant paradox of fast fine dining.

It felt like eating in an expensive uptown restaurant and from the abundant family table at the same time.

The service was impeccable. A professional but friendly female associate asked me for my order, which was two slices of pepperoni pizza and a drink from the Freestyle Coca-Cola machine. There’s a lot of freedom with the eating experience at Fazoli’s, since you can mix your own soft drinks and try variations of pasta dishes ranging from pizza to baked ziti.

Other delectable menu items that let Fazoli’s “say it with pasta” range from chicken broccoli penne to Cherry Chicken salad. For dessert, there are flavors of Italian lemon ice, turtle cheesecake and more. The chocolate layer cake looked moist, dense and decadent.

That day, what I noticed most about my delicious pizza was the incredible crust–possibly one of the best pizza crusts I’ve ever tried. Somehow, Fazoli’s managed to create a strikingly good pizza difference with an upper crust that was light and fluffy and a bottom crust that was lightly crispy and golden. The pepperoni itself was deliciously meaty and salty, like cured meats are, but it was not too greasy.

When I ordered lunch that day, the lady associate went out of her way to make things better. She gave me a number for my order and offered me a warm garlic bread stick while I waited until she brought the food to the table. She wrapped the bread in paper and gave it to me with encouraging words. (I took two of the bread sticks home and warmed one up for breakfast this morning).

That day at Fazoli’s, I sat down with a copy of the Chattanooga Times Free Press in a relaxed atmosphere where I found good food that was Italian, fast and fresh, with romantic music in the background.

Stop by Fazoli’s for something familiar and something different all at once. Bring a friend or your family for a good and wholesome night out.

At Fazoli’s, even the red and white take-out cups encourage us to eat well and get along too. As one bright message suggested, one simple caring question like “do you still like the color blue?” might lead to a peaceful meal. It’s a start.

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